Confidence and rotation: why are PSG missing so many penalties this season? | OneFootball

Vitinha’s penalty, saved by Philipp Köhn at Monaco on Tuesday, sharpened focus on Paris Saint-Germain’s faltering record from the spot in a 3-2 Champions League play-off first leg.

According to L'Équipe, PSG have converted only 56% of penalties across competitions this season, five of nine, down from 83% in 2024-2025, 10 of 12, with four misses in their last five Champions League attempts.

Paradoxically, they have won three shootouts this season, against Tottenham, Flamengo and Marseille, each time with significant help from their goalkeepers.

The squad work on penalties daily, yet in-game misses mirror a wider loss of conviction in finishing. Former specialist Thomas Mangani views it as confidence and streaks rather than technique, and says he is not worried.

Luis Enrique has changed tack. Last season he set a clear order with Vitinha as primary taker, which irked some forwards, notably Ousmane Dembélé. This term he introduced rotation, encouraged by Vitinha’s misses against Arsenal and in the UEFA Super Cup against Tottenham, to share statistics and protect players after failures.

He names a taker before each match, Vitinha for Monaco, while Dembélé saw an effort saved against Newcastle on 28 January, and he lets players decide who feels ready. Mangani says changing after a miss can help psychologically but may disrupt continuity and keep pressure high. Restoring efficiency from set pieces and in open play remains the aim, Lionel Messi had a 5-of-9 spell between August 2015 and March 2016 but is at 78% for his career.

Source: L'Équipe